7 Goals in the next 7 Years of MY Life

under the sunset sky

During the time I turned 30 years old. I have written down my plans that I would like to see myself accomplished in ten years time. I even indicated the age which I'm supposed to achieve or reach those goals. One of which is working overseas and learning how to drive. I was still trying to learn driving when I had the opportunity to work abroad. So my driving skills was put on hold for a while. I have achieved at least three of my plans, although not in the specified age I wanted it to be achieved, still it was within my 10 year life plan. 

But now it seems I need to recheck my 10 year plan and schedule. I will need to revise certain goals to make it in line with my present situation. As they say, the only permanent thing in this world is change. My environment changed, so as some of my views and plans.

Since I started working here in UAE, my eyes were opened to other possibilities, to greater opportunities which changed my perspective in life.  So here are my revised remaining plans to be achieved within the 7 years of my life, (I have noted down  the 3 life goals I have accomplished then the rest are revised plans) -

1) Work Overseas - This was one of my original life plans I have written on my 30th year of life. So I am very much glad that on my 31st year during the end of 2009, I was given the opportunity to work overseas, which is the country I am presently staying - UAE. 


2) Full Payment of my Parent's House - One thing I have promised myself that I will do before I settle down with a partner is to return the blessings my parents have given me all these years. I have always wanted to ensure that my parents are settled before I get married and have my own family. My parents have their own retirement plans, but it is my personal belief to include them in my plans whilst I am still single. I have accomplished this with paying the full amount of our house mortgage during the first quarter of 2011 and it is up to them now to plan on their retirement. I have peace in my heart that when I get married and settle down, my parents have a house they can call their own. 


3) Pursue a Hobby / Skill - On the 3rd quarter of 2011 I have decided to buy myself a DSLR camera - Nikon D90. My very first investment in pursuing my dream of becoming a photographer. I own a Canon D90 underwater point and shoot camera, but I have this itching desire in my heart to pursue buying a  DSLR, and it was a right decision. Then last December 2011, I have attended the basic photography workshop and have started the lucrative hobby of photography. Honestly, it is an expensive hobby so I am inclined to work on my skills and become a professional photographer rather than just a hobbyist. There are already workshops in the first quarter of 2012 which I intend to attend. 


Now, I have the remaining goals and plans which I hope I can accomplish by the time I reach 40, 7 plans in the next 7 years of my life -- 

4) Increase my Financial Income and Savings - Since I may have a growing family in the next few years of my life, I will definitely need to have my present income increase drastically. I am trying to find ways to increase my financial savings up to 30%, trying to learn the trades in stock market or bond investments. I am also looking for opportunity to increase my monthly earnings. If I may not be able to get it from my present company then I may need to find it someplace else. This is in progress now. 

5)  Learn to Drive - I have started learning to drive on manual before but I left the country.  I will definitely try to achieve it by the 2nd quarter of 2012 and get a driver's license in the UAE. Most cars here are automatic so I am hoping it will be an easy goal to complete.

6) Get a Diploma Course - I need to update my professional skills to help me improve in my present career. I guess I need to get extra training in computer or management courses. I am a wide reader and reading articles from Harvard Business Blog is very much helpful but I just need something more. Hope I can find a school in the UAE which offer basic management or diploma course. Something that I need to look into at the 2nd half of 2012.

7) Get Married - I want to have a baby and I never mind getting pregnant without the blessing of marriage. But recently, my philosophy in marriage have changed slightly. I want to get married before having children. I want my children to be conceived under the blessing of marriage. I don't want to experience getting married just because I am pregnant or become an unwed mother. I have no issues with it, in fact, if it happens then that is very fine with me.  But I just want it done differently and if given the opportunity to be married first then have children, then I would prefer it in that manner. This 2012, I have plans to achieved it later this year or may be by 2013, we'll have to wait and see.

8) Have MY TWINS - I have always wanted to have twins, one boy and one girl. Since I am not getting any younger, I may want to have 2 children right away in one pregnancy. Hoping I will be able to bear children right after I get married, so looking forward to seeing my twins in 2013 or by 2014.


9) Be an Entrepreneur or Investor - They said everyone can learn and become an entrepreneur. I have always wanted to put up my own business and this is actually in progress. I just needed to save for my capital in a few months, then I will invest in my parents business plan. But I see myself in 2015 putting up a business on my own.  I am giving myself 3 years to figure out what business I want to put up while saving up on a capital then decide. Most likely it will in the line of photography.

10) Buy A Farm Land - I wanted to have my own farm and since my partner is very much interested in the same, hoping I will be lucky enough to find a plot in Mindanao, Laguna or Batangas to buy at least 5 hectares of land for farming. I may need to save up for this until 2018 on my 40th year. Who knows it may be the greatest gift I will be giving myself on my 40th birthday or someone will be giving it to me as a gift (prayer is a such a powerful tool to make your dreams come true hehehe). 


In my 2 years in the UAE, it has been tough but 2010 and 2011 had been kind to me and helped me achieve most of my plans.  I try as much as I can not to complain too much as I have been very much blessed as well. But there are moments due to extreme stress and pressure, I break down and forget all the blessings that I have received. 

The start of my work year had not been great, but I will make sure to be more positive and be patient enough to wait for the right moment.  I will try my best to achieve my goals, stay focused and aim for the prize with God's grace and guidance. 

I have created these goals to help me focus on what I need to do with my life and give me direction. The road sometimes offer so many different routes to take and if you do not have a map or a proper GPRS, we may end up getting lost. There are still times, it is best to just drive where the road leads you, and I do that when my plans are not working the way I want it to be. I am flexible, I can adjust.

My plans are not carved on stone, I have created them to see a clear picture of my life's direction. It may change as life changes in time and change is inevitable. 


I look forward to a great 2012 and I have raised again to God all my remaining plans hoping it is the same plans He has for me. I believe in the power of positive thoughts and your thoughts shape the reality of your life. 


So I must be positive and think of great things to come in 2012! 

-- Josh 

Words of Wisdom from Fr. Jerry Orbos

Just some words of wisdom that I heard from Fr. Jerry Orbos during the TV mass last January 09.  He said, "never take anyone or anything too serviously."

He mentioned 4 things to remember and live by --

1)  Money can be earned.

2)  Stupid quarrels can be resolved.

3)  Life of a loved one is irreplaceable.

4)  Lost of your soul is your greatest failure.

I thank God for these words to help me through my stay here in UAE.

--Josh

I Think I'm Inlove with My Work Too Much

It's almost 3:00 AM and I'm still awake. My mind is still on active mode and though my body is extremely exhausted, I can't seem to get myself to lie in bed and rest my weary mind.

I left the office very late trying to finish up all my pendings and to do's. I just realized that it has been almost 2 months since my last blog and I have not been able to share my thoughts lately.

I have spent most of my time at work and my boss would always tease me to get a life.

Life? Well, most of my life here are spent in the office so I guess I had developed a certain relationship with my work. When I was in the Philippines, I have the same scenario and I usually spend more time with my job than with my partner and parents.

Funny though, it just seems like I'm terribly in love with my job.  You know the feeling when you are in love, you can't sleep, you always want to be with the person you love and you can't live without them.

I just realized now that I can't sleep because I'm thinking about my work, I'm always in the office almost 24 hours a day/7 days a week and I can't seem to stop working even though my body is telling me to stop.

Either I'm in love with job or I'm just plain addicted with work. Truthfully, I love what I'm doing. I like the challenge, the pressure and stress. Trying to figure out whether I can make it or not. Learning from the mistakes, having those palpitating and panick attacks then trying to calm my nerves down. I do get tired though and wish for a peaceful sleep.

Well, my mind is a bit disoriented while writing this blog but I just want to share my thoughts. Anyway, my bed is certainly gaining advantage of tempting my body to sleep on it now. Guess, better rest as I look forward to having another day with my new partner - WORK.

Josh

After Life

I watched the movie After Life and it just made me think about my life, about death, the choices I made and have not made.

What if there is really nothing after life? What if the life we have now is both heaven and hell, depending on the choices we make, depending on how we live our lives. That we need to make this life we have now worthwhile because there is nothing after we have passed this world.

What if today is the last day in this world? How did you live, how have you lived those years of life?

What if you only just have that few moments to think about your life before you are completely gone in this world? Will you have so many regrets, for words not said, for things not done? Or will you be able to peacefully close your eyes knowing that you have lived the life you wanted, to live it with happiness, to have explored everything Life has offered you?

I had my struggles and still have them. I cannot never live without it, it will always be a part of my life. It sometimes gets exhausting to live life with complications. It wears out my soul and breaks my spirit at most times. But it also builds my character and makes me a stronger person.

Few years back, I got tired of living the same situation. In the movie, Anna is already dead when she was expressing all her regrets in life. Like the character of Anna who had full of regrets, I was at a point in my breathing life I was living a regretful chapter for wrong decisions made, for choices I was so afraid to explore. I had the same sentiments as Anna, waking up, going to work, doing my work, going home then falling into sleep. Then having the same routine again the following day. It was not a miserable life, but there is just something that I needed to do and I was so afraid to explore it then.

When the opportunity presented itself, I took it. I left my country to work overseas. I still have the same situation with work, but now it is much different. I was learning more about myself here. I miss my country and my family but I am glad I left. This is something that I really wanted to do and so now I am here.

I made a ten year plan of my life. I started it when I turned 30 which was 2 years ago. I was able to accomplish 2 of my goals and 2 are still under process. But now after a few months of living in this country, my perspective has changed. So now I am reassessing my goals and plans for the next 8 years of my life.

But in case today will be the last day of my simple life (which I pray, God will still let me live to see my grandchildren), I would be glad to say that I can close my eyes peacefully even with the thought that there would be nothing beyond this life.

It was not a perfect life, but I did experience some perfect moments. I had made peace with my God (though I belong to a religious group, I still believe that the path of spirituality is a journey experienced by the person at his/her own pace and time), I have experienced life and made bolder choices. I have accepted my painful past, I have forgiven myself for mistakes I have committed and the hurt done to friends I love (but if I have a Hot Tub Time Machine, I would go back and alter it). I have loved and was loved in return, I have made my parents happy, I have met new people in my life and rekindled old friendships, I have learned to focus on improving myself more rather than try to improve others. It was not extravagant but I have lived a good and interesting life.

If given another day, then I will again try to challenge myself, improve on my weaknesses and create better relationships with the people around me. We only pass by this world once, so I guess it is much better to make it worthwhile.

Josh

My Thoughts on this Week

Another challenging work week here in Abu Dhabi. But I thank God for the time and strenght to be able to accomplish things that needs to be done, it might be just small accomplishments but I did put effort and energy into it.

I'm usually passionate with my work or any activity that would bring out the best in me. Sometimes, I get easily be disheartened. Rechecking my goals, my plans, my strengths and my weaknesses. I greatly fear failure so there are times that I am paralyzed by it. Instead of taking risks, I'd rather not do anything.

But life is full of choices. If I remain complacent and always be fearful of the unknown, I will not be able to reach my goals. I do get affected by other people's opinions, but I am a bit choosy now on who's opinions or criticism's I listen to.

Yes, I do listen to criticisms. Sometimes, I'm affected by it. There are instances I shrug it off, especially those that are totally untrue and nonsense. One would probably say, it's nothing. But in reality, people's comments on you is everything.

In the past few months, I have learned to choose which criticism would help me most and which are just been commented on out of frustration, or arrogance.  I have decided to work on the weaknesses other people sees in me instead of being defensive. I have to admit, I still falter and make a list of complains. But each day, I remind myself to be appreciative of the good things and the bad situations. Every problem has a solution and if it's unresolvable, then better not think of it at all.

It has always been my belief that people would have opinions of you whether you do something right or not. (It's probably in our nature, but hope I'm wrong. I do not have any factual basis on it anyway.) So you cannot always live by their standards. You should live in the standards of your Creator.  

I am not perfect but will always strive for perfection, better yet for excellence. I may just do my job because I'm being paid to do it. But I will try to be committed to doing my work because I want to step up and improve myself to every failure I encounter.

It is just recently that I have stopped comparing myself with others. I am what I am, I am not this person nor that person. So I had peace with myself, striving to be better, to beat my old self. I try to find inspiration from my surroundings, to learn from others and to explore further my abilities - discovered that I'm somehow interested in writing (thank you for the friend who introduced me to blogging - Ivs).

My thoughts are still disorganized but if I continue writing, putting my thoughts into words, I will certainly improve on it (and would definitely strive and hope for).

Josh

Being more Positive

"Today I will start to focus on improving myself rather than waste my time criticizing others."

I have kept reminding myself to work on my attitude. To ignore people who would drain my energies and will not help me reach my fullest potentials. But we are a work in progress.

Earlier, today I took part in a discussion between my boss and a colleague. I would just like to have avoided it but I just can't seem to keep myself away from the issue since I'm partly affected by it.

It was an upsetting discussion and it seemed we did not made any progress at all. We were back to square 1. Same issue, same arguments, same rebuttals. It is like dejavu, a situation keeps repeating itself like a broken record.

I started wandering whether our boss really understands his role in the company. It seems weird because I have been managed by leaders who has extensive experience in the industry and I can't help myself but to compare the present one with the previous bosses.

Then I started to have the litany of complains. I guess I needed to vent my frustrations but it did not help me at all with the work I needed to complete that day. It just drained all my energy and at the end of the day, I was unproductive.

I have great respect for my leaders, some I may not have liked but I do respect their position and their credentials as leaders. I have mentioned leaders because they have the vision for the company or even just the department they are handling, they were able to inspire their staff. The present B, he is manager alright, but not a leader, at least in my opinion.

Good thing, I am able to motivate and help myself improve on my inadequacies. I may not find inspiration through the present B, but I respect him as a person and as a superior. It would seem unfair and questionable why he was placed in such a position but it is beyond me. I understand he is not perfect but I hope he will be humble enough to admit that he needs improvements as well. Probably he will in the future, I just need to be positive. Positive thoughts breeds positive results, right?

From the words of William Nelson, "Once you replace negative words with positive words, you'll start having positive results." So first goal for the month, use positive and kind words to others even when I'm talking about them behind their backs.

Josh

Remember Who You Are

We all have our moments of failures and moments of success... Important thing is not to loose the sense of your inner being in this world full of insanity.

Josh

Letting Go...

Letting go is very difficult when someone holds a special place in your heart, but sometimes you just need to let them go so they can move on and grow, and to let yourself grow in your own relationships.

It is such a painful process.. but when you truly love someone, you will let them be happy with their lives, so you can be happy with your own life.

Josh

No One Can Make YoU Feel Inferior

Earlier, I cried out of frustration and exhaustion. I was made to feel stupid by one person and what bothered me the most is I let myself be treated in such a manner.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." I should need to constantly remind myself of these words.

While I was writing this blog, I was able to read an article related with this quote. In this article, Life Skills Coach, Carol Sheets mentions that other people have no control over you unless you let them and we should not give them the power to do so. We control our reactions to any situation.

And as it is typical to feel or react from the negative emotions the other person has put on you, you should not allow yourself to cherish that feelings enduringly and belie your sense of self worth. We have the power to change our emotions to a more positive aspect.

Carol Sheets mentioned in her article, "although the feelings are normal, it's what you do with them and how you process them that reconnect you to your power."

She specified a three-step process to help you cope and regain your power when you encounter those authoritative, power driven people:

1) take a deep breath

2) feel the feeling

3) then remind yourself that you won't let the person's words affect your self-esteem

From the words of Carol Sheets, "Life is about choices. You can't control how others treat you, but you can definitely choose how you let it affect you!"

With this in mind, I will try to look at things in a different perspective from now on. I will also try the above steps given the situation.

Lately, I keep forgetting that my true worth is not determined by my job but with the positive relationships I build with others and being able to overcome the difficulties in life with integrity. Developing my character is what I would like myself to improve on. Maybe these experiences are helping me to achieve it depending on my reactions.

As P.B. Fitzwater puts it, “Character is the sum and total of a person's choices.”

Just a food for thought.....
“Watch your THOUGHTS, for they become WORDS.
Watch your WORDS, for they become ACTIONS.
Watch your ACTIONS, for they become HABITS.
Watch your HABITS, for they become CHARACTER.
Watch your CHARACTER, for it becomes your DESTINY!"
Author Unknown

Josh

To Be or Not To Be

When you are faced with people throwing negative criticisms at you, what will you do:

Listen to their negative comments and Believe that those are true OR Believe in your abilities and Listen to your innerself reminding you of your true worth...

I CHOOSE THE LATTER.

I cannot please everybody.

All I can do is be honest and do my best with my work, believe in my abilities and hope that others will see the potential

Josh

Something to Think About: Posted in Starting Anew Blog last March 18

Death is something that really interests me. In the book Tuesdays with Morrie, one of Morrie's aphorisms is When you die, you live. You only appreciate life once you learn and accept your own mortality.

There is more to death than physical death. There was a point in my life that I have experienced dying - Emotional and spiritual death. I have always believed that everything that happens in life has a purpose. But what would be the point in living if there is no reason to live for.

You would come to a point in your life that you ask what if there is no such thing as purpose... how will you live your life then. Nothing to look forward to since there is nothing on the other side of the road.

Vast emptiness.. that is what I have felt before. Emptiness. Nothing, there is just nothing to look forward to. I have died during those months, emotionally. I felt no emotions, just numbness. And once you have died emotionally, you just become cold, void of emotions.

I did not actually care if I was hurting other people, 'cause I just did not feel anything. I chose not to process any emotions, I just died then. My first manager told me then that she has not seen me as cold and numb when dealing with the situation I was experiencing then. She was actually worried about me. But I just did not care anymore.

Then I asked myself would I choose to avoid getting hurt but living like a vampire, cold hearted, no emotions. Or choose to be hurt but learn and live life enjoying each kind of emotion, happiness, sadness, joy and sorrow, like Morrie has pointed out in his book.

I guess I chose to live. I spared myself living life void of emotions. Living life full of regrets. I made stupid choices but who doesn't. Life is to be lived by making decisions anyway. But you should live with those choices, right?

So for two months in UAE, I'm wondering why am I here? It has been a struggle for me. Getting really exhausted, dealing with pressure and a high maintenance colleague, having a humbling experience and other things. And this experience made me realize that I need to deal yet with certain emotions... fear and courage. Learning about these feelings a bit deeper now.

I will survive in this country, in this company like those who have struggled and conquered their fears and courageously rose from the pits of failures and disappointments.

I will survive and continue living.....

Josh/18-Mar-2010

Hot Green Tea

Another week in Abu Dhabi and I survived the tremendous work load and pressure in the office by myself. It was quite a challenge doing everything on your own and being left alone in the office. I am blessed to have been given this opportunity to learn new things in UAE.

Let me share with you the experience I had and things I have learned recently (most of these I knew already but I was just reminded by).

First, There are some people or circumstance that will never change no matter what.
Have you experience being or working with a person and you just couldn't stand them. You just hate their guts and wish that they be thrown away in some limbo then remain there for eternity? Well, I keep experiencing working with such high maintenance people. Probably I keep attracting them as I am high maintenance myself, hahaha. If the Law of Attraction is true then indeed I might be attracting these people in my life because these are people I am trying to avoid. And whether I complain and throw the stress ball on the wall imagining their faces on the target, it will not change anything. Such people will remain who they are because they probably choose to. And if this will be the case, what should I do then? Mope, cry, or get myself so frustrated until I loose all my hair! While thinking about it, I just remembered a quote from John Maxwell, "your problem is not your problem, your problem is your attitude, change them and it will solve your problem." He's probably right. I will just need to accept the hard fact that there are people who would remain difficult probably they chose to or because they have not understood themselves deeper enough to help themselves become better individuals. Important thing is to try to control my own emotions and reactions and not to let their negativity get into my system.

Second, Crying relieves stress and cleanses your eyes.
The past week that I have been by myself, I cried like a toddler for three consecutive days. The stress was up to my neck and everything wants to be attended to all at the same time. I was able to do most but not all. Hey, the last time I checked I am still human and I can only do most what the human mind and body can accomplish. So at the end of the day, when my boss had left the office already, I let myself cry and scream a little while typing my costings and emails to my clients. I still need to multi-task you know - while doing the art of crying, I was also doing the art of typing. I heard Chin Chin Gutierrez mentioned in her interview once that crying cleanses the soul. And it did help me cope with the challenging workload and felt relieved. It might have helped in cleansing my contacts as well, hehe. Nevertheless, it was all good experience. Once in a while I just needed to raise my left hand with the white flag while my right hand continues on writing my to do list for the following day.

Third, Pain is something you need to deal with and learn that it will fade away in time.
I had my hot green tea accidentally spilt on my left foot this week. The burning sensation was unbearable at first. It was painful that it bothered me through the night. But I just made sure that I put some ointment on it and let it heal on its own time. Guess, it's just like the emotional pain I have experienced (still experiencing) in my life. It is painful and it bothers you every time you think about it. Well, all of us go through such painful moments at some point in our lives, right? But the important thing is we acknowledge the pain, put some ointment and let time do its wonders of healing.

It was an indeed an exhausting week and I look forward to another week of challenge. At the end of a tiring day, all you can do is relax and try to think of the good things in life. For me, I relax my mind with a cup of my hot mint green tea and a short talk with God, thanking Him for the day that pass and asking him to help me get through another one tomorrow.

Josh / 02-Apr-2010